Here, another little story. Another experiment. I don't know if it could be described as fable... I think it could, but I'm not sure. Hope you like anyway! Oh, and forgive the silly songs. I did my best, but they are not very good I think.

I'm not a native English speaker!

Enjoy :)

The snake who wanted to dance with the cats

This is a story of long ago, when the skies were clear and the nights were warm. It was at those summer nights, bridges between sunset and dawn, then under the untouched black sky, the Cats Clan made great trouble gathering under the moon and singing and playing until the break of day. Those were indeed special nights, when every cat joined his fellows in the songs and in the dances as well, and many other creatures assisted and joked with them. And the cats were generous with the animals of the night: guests were very welcome at the great cats' feast.

Yet, if you have good eyes, you might find, hidden among the tall grass, a little snake. He sat there in silence, watching, and anyone who met him on those nights would see his yellow eyes shining with desire and regret as he heard the cats laughing and singing. Every year, when the Cats Clan gather in the meadows, the little snake silently watched their dances from afar.

He wanted so much to dance with them. He did not ask for anything more, you see. Just dance and sing in the moonlight as the cats did. For one night only, not to be hidden in a hole in the ground; for one night only, he could join them and their laughter. And it was an old desire harbouring in his heart for so long.

Every year, when the Cats Clan gathered in the meadows, the little snake came forward. But not even the cats, who usually laughed and joked along with other creatures, accepted his company.

"What art thou doing here?", they said, "What art thou looking for? Ground-kisser, egg-eater! What art thou seeking here?"

"Let me sing with you, brothers cats," the snake told them, but they laughed and replied: "With thy voice thou wantest to sing? Wheezing and rattling, what canst thou do?"

But then the snake replied to them: "Then suffer me to join the dances."

"Thou dancing! And with what legs?", the cats laughed at him.

And so the snake went away, slithering on his stomach, while the eyes of all creatures stared at him with hardness and disgust.

And again he was hiding in his lair. And from afar he heard the cats sing:

"Oh oh! Old silly snake,
with cats along
he wants to sing.
And what a song!

Go and hide
among thy weeds.
Let us sing happy
without thy pleads!"

And thus he wept for he did not understand. Why everyone mocked and ridiculed him? Was he to be blame for what he was? He did not understand. And he could see the cats laugh at him and whisper against him. And he do not understand why. The little snake cried. He cried, yes, for he could not find his place in those lands, and the place he had he did not like.

And he kept looking at the cats playing and laughing all along, as he hid among the bushes. And he got more sad. More and more sad and angry.

He could hear the music of the flutes, and the violins, and the songs coming up from the meadow. And still he wanted to join that, he wanted to laugh and joke and did not want to hurt anyone. He wanted to be their friend. Yet cats teased him arrogantly and his anger and his sorrow grew deeper.

Now, for an uncommon case, one evening the eagle, queen of those lands, came flying over those fields where cats danced. Out of curiosity or boredom, she had descended from the mountains. She knew that the brothers of the Cats Clan gave the best of themselves in those nights and had therefore decided to attend the dances of her most beloved children.

Well, as I said, it was by pure chance that the eagle, flying over the land, heard a distant and faint crying. And mildly affected, since those were days of celebration, she came down from the high currents to investigate the source of that sadness.

So it was that, hidden among the dry grass, she saw the little snake.

"Why art thou weeping, son of the forest?" she asked.

"Cats despise me, my powerful Lady. They laugh at and make joke of me!" replied the snake.

"Why should them?" asked the eagle.

"I want to sing and dance along with them, but always in my hole I am forced to crawl back!"

The eagle then looked at him hardly, for she did not understand the snake's desire. "Do not seek what thou canst not have, little snake," chided the eagle. "A snake thou wert born and a snake thou art bound to be. Thy tongue is long and poisonous and thy heart is getting rotten for desire! Shut up then! Be proud of what thou art and be at peace."

Therefore the eagle left him and flew high upon the pines to observe the wild dances of her favorite sons. The cats saw her and they danced that night for her, singing songs to the Lady of the Mountains and laughing at the snake.

"Hey, hey hasten here!
Cats brothers come near!
Eagle holds your songs dear!
Come on! Come on! Hear!

Now to flutes give sound!
Drums' voice may be loud!
To sing tonight you're bound!
Join us from all around!

Come, come! No one's sad!
Our Lady shall be glad!
Not the snake shall now gad
out of his lair, he's been forbad!

Hidden in his hole he must stay!
Crawl in there and there lay!
Poor snake, thou wentest astray!
Underground thou stayest!

Hey!Hey!"

So they laughed and sang that night. Dancing to the sound of wild viola. They laughed and sang, but did not know that at the edge of the forest, in a hole in the ground, the snake watched and in his heart there was no more wish for those songs, only anger grew inside him. He felt mocked and humiliated and hatred sprouted in his heart.

And still the cats were dancing and laughing when the dazzling rays of the eastern sun began to peek over the hills. And the heart of the small snake was now filled with hatred.

He slithered quick out of his hole. And when the cat saw it, they marveled greatly and their music fell silent for, for the first time, fear filled their heart.

Seeing that no one dared to speak to the serpent, the head of the cats came forth.

"What art thou still seeking here?" he asked, "thou hast perhaps not heard the words of the eagle? Leave the singing to the cats and keep thy hissing for thyself!" he ordered harshly.

But the snake leaped quick and sank his fangs in the cat's paw. The leader of the cats jumped backward in pain and surprise, and the snake grinned evil and said, "You arrogant cats! You have mocked me and I kept quiet. You have chased me away, and I have slithered. I wanted to be your friend and I have been rejected! Here, then, I went back to my place!"

So saying he went away, leaving the stunned and frightened cats. And the snake knew that in their hearts they would have found no place for arrogance, nor ever they would have dared deride him once more. And so he crawled back into his hole.

But the eagle, from the pines, had witnessed all and she flew briskly toward him.

"What hast thou done, my son?" she asked.

And the snake hissed dangerously and said, "I did what it was expected of me, my Lady. You all wanted me to be a snake, and a snake I've been indeed."

The end.

What do you think? It's a quite stupid little story, I know...